It has now been suggested that in 2009 archaeologists “used top-quality equipment to go over the area, which they use to find underground stuff in Afghanistan”. However, what both US and British forces were using at the time (and subsequently) were Ebex 420H machines which have little depth capability (mines are mostly at shallow depth) and are not recommended by the manufactures for use in iron contaminated soil or for finding very small targets (mines not being small targets).

So we remain of the very firm opinion that the subsequent launch of two machines with vastly superior depth capabilities and another with a much greater capacity to operate in iron contaminated soils signals a sky high probability that elements of the Staffordshire Hoard(s) have been stolen by nighthawks using equipment that is entirely superior to that which was employed in the original archaeological search.

It’s also our opinion that the Government should be told about what may have happened and be requested to take urgent steps to control the importation and use of the new generation of deep-seeking metal detectors on the grounds we have previously suggested. It’s also worth bearing in mind that if thieves (and indeed legal artefact hunters) are in a position to cause heritage damage using technical capabilities that are denied to front line troops who are risking their lives it’s time something was done. It takes rewarding the undeserving to levels previously unsurpassed even in pro-artefact hunting Britain!